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Canberra’s Owen Goldrick appointed to FIFA Panel

Capital Football referee Owen Goldrick has been appointed to the FIFA Assistant Referee Panel for the 2018 Calendar Year in a move that again shows the strength of Referee pathways in Canberra.

Goldrick began refereeing when he was 14 and continued to officiate in the final two years of his playing days, before committing his time to being a Referee when he was 16 years old.

After beginning with Junior matches, Goldrick made his way up through the ranks, progressing from Junior to Community leagues, NPL and NPL Women’s, before breaking through onto the National Youth League panel and eventually the Hyundai A-League panel, where he has remained for the last five years.

Goldrick’s appointment means he can now officiate as an Assistant Referee in international football matches, and gives him the opportunity to be selected to the AFC elite panel and take charge of Asian Champions League matches and World Cup qualifiers.

After a number of young Canberra referees were appointed to National panels this year, Goldrick believes that his appointment shows the strength of the pathway in Canberra to those on the way up.

“A lot of people within the Canberra referee community pride themselves on the area punching above its weight nationally and internationally,” he said.

“I think the success of a number of us at national and international level is definitely a strong indicator that there is a good structure in place to provide these opportunities and that development.

“When I was growing up Canberra had Ben Williams, Ben Wilson and Allyson Flynn, all FIFA accredited officials who I got to train with and learn from week in and week out and that made such a difference to my career.”

“Hopefully this will continue for our young referees in the years to come.”

If you are interested in becoming a referee, head over to the Courses section of our website to see what training courses are coming up, or contact Alasdair Grocock to express your interest.